Contacts Lost in Latest Update

Last night my phone updated to iOS 13.3 and now my contacts are gone. Anyone else have this problem and can I somehow restore them?

iPhone 6s, iOS 13

Posted on Dec 18, 2019 3:07 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 18, 2019 4:07 AM

How to get back missing contacts would depend on where they were stored.


Check if account you use to sync the contacts is enabled in Settings > Passwords & Accounts and "Contacts" option is toggled on.


In Contacts app, if you see "Groups" button in upper left corner, check if all groups (if any) are enabled.


If you use iCloud, to sync your contacts, check if they are also missing on iCloud.com and if yes, to restore your contacts setup to previous state follow the instructions found here: https://support.apple.com/en-ie/guide/icloud/mme6182cfc37/icloud


If you use other account to sync your contacts, check if they are missing on the server and if yes, then follow the instructions provided by whomever supports the account you use to restore your missing contacts.


If you do not use iCloud or other account to sync your contacts, and those missing contacts were stored locally on your device, you need to restore your device from the backup to restore your missing contacts.

4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 18, 2019 4:07 AM in response to Walden84

How to get back missing contacts would depend on where they were stored.


Check if account you use to sync the contacts is enabled in Settings > Passwords & Accounts and "Contacts" option is toggled on.


In Contacts app, if you see "Groups" button in upper left corner, check if all groups (if any) are enabled.


If you use iCloud, to sync your contacts, check if they are also missing on iCloud.com and if yes, to restore your contacts setup to previous state follow the instructions found here: https://support.apple.com/en-ie/guide/icloud/mme6182cfc37/icloud


If you use other account to sync your contacts, check if they are missing on the server and if yes, then follow the instructions provided by whomever supports the account you use to restore your missing contacts.


If you do not use iCloud or other account to sync your contacts, and those missing contacts were stored locally on your device, you need to restore your device from the backup to restore your missing contacts.

Dec 18, 2019 6:48 AM in response to iW00

Thanks. The "Contacts" option is toggled on in my phone. I use iCloud for my backup and my contacts are missing from there as well. The link that you sent directed me right to the "restore contacts link," but unfortunately I don't have an archive of m y contacts in iCloud. So I guess I'll just need to add them all back in. I very much appreciate your help though! Frustrating that this update did this.

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Contacts Lost in Latest Update

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